Unexpected Love
by steampunkqueen2489
Summary: a fanfic that takes place during the story mode from Mortal Combat X, probably continuing to slightly afterward. it starts out when Cassie and her team are in prison in Outworld. Cassie CageXErron Black
1. Chapter 1: Prison

Chapter 1

Prison

He was silently cursing himself as he walked towards where the prisoners from Earthrealm were being held. Never in his life did he do things like this. Never did it even cross his mind. He never held much regard for other people, none at all really. It had always been about doing the job he had been paid to do, then moving on. But, this, this was different. He knew why. It was because of her. That young woman in the Earthrealm military, the young blonde woman with an attitude like no other. Damn. What was the name again...? Cassandra. That was the name. Cassandra Cage, if he was not mistaken, and he was fairly sure that he wasn't. Her companions interested him little if any. They were typical Earthrealmers, like all the others he'd seen before. But, her, she was anything but typical. In all of his very long life, he had never come across anyone like her, and he somehow felt that he had to know more about her. She was pretty, there was no denying that. But, that wasn't the sole reason she fascinated him so much. He had seen many pretty women before in his long life. But, none like her. She had an attitude like no other, and she could fight better than many of the men he'd come across over the years. She was braver, too. She had this no-nonsense attitude, and was determined to get her job done no matter what. He couldn't believe he was actually doing this, but he had to see her again.

She sat against the wall blowing the occasional bubble with her chewing gum. Some moonlight streamed in through the barred window. Her three friends were asleep in their respective cells and she knew that she should probably be doing the same, but she just couldn't manage to sleep. Surprisingly, it wasn't the imminent danger that had her concerned. It was the strange thoughts that were swirling around in her head. There was one person in particular that plagued her thoughts. It was an Outworlder, though he was human, a mysterious man, seemingly even to his allies. He was quiet most of the time, usually saying no more than he needed to, which added to his mystery. When he did speak, though, he had a low, deep voice, a voice seemingly void of emotion. Though, he did have an attitude, something Cassie could relate to, and even somewhat respect. She wasn't quite sure what was going on with her. This was something she had never quite experienced before. At a time when she should be thinking about her family or finding a way to escape, all she could think of was him, the mysterious cowboy working for Kotal Khan. Fuck, what was the name...? Erron. That was it. Erron Black. The Outworld Cowboy. She could still see his eyes, still hear his deep voice. 'Damn it, Cassie. Get a grip.' she thought to herself. Suddenly, she heard footsteps on the floor above, then coming down the stairs.

She looked to the direction of the footsteps, and she could see someone coming down the stairs. She could only see a shadow at first, but the closer he came to her cell, the more she could make out details. When she saw the man clearly, she could hardly believe it. It was him, the very man she had been thinking about, Erron Black. What could he possibly be doing there? Had the Emperor sent him to kill her and her friends? She instantly got to her feet and looked him in the eyes, scowling on the outside, though, on the inside, her heart was beating so fast that she swore it would beat right out of her chest. He looked at her there, behind bars, and, for a moment, he was tempted to let her out. He studied her face for a moment and he could see that fire in her eyes that had first caught her attention.

"I take it you're not here to let me out." she said.

"I think you know I can't do that." he said. That low, deep voice was just how she remembered it.

"Then why the hell are you here? Did Kotal Kahn send you to kill us? Well, just do it, then. I'm not afraid of you." Cassie told him. He answered her with one word.

"No." he said.

"What? What do you mean no?" Cassie said. His answer had taken her by surprise, and she was definitely confused. He wasn't there to let her out. He wasn't there to kill her. The look on her face amused him and he almost snickered a little.

"Then why are you here?" Cassie asked. Erron held out his hand, and Cassie realized that he was holding a cup.

"What's with the cup?" she asked.

"What do you think? It's for you." he answered, his deep voice still with that emotionless sound to it.

"O-kay..." she said, still somewhat confused as she took the cup from his hand. The cup was filled with water. She looked inside the cup, then at Erron again.

"Are you trying to poison me?" she said raising an eyebrow at him.

"Why would I poison you? If I wanted you dead, I'd have just shot you." he said matter-of-factory. That was true. Poison wasn't his style. He would have just killed her outright. But, Cassie wondered why then he would bring her water.

"I just thought you might be thirsty." he said. Though it was true that the Outworld jungle that they were in was humid and hot and the lower level of the ship where they were being held was stuffy, and she was thirsty, Cassie found it hard to believe that Erron Black had gone all humanitarian all of a sudden. She could see no sign of aggression in his eyes and she was thirsty, so she put the cup to her lips and began drinking the water. It felt good on her dry throat and though confused as to why Erron Black had given it to her, she was grateful for the drink. She drank it dry and handed the cup back to him. After a moment of hesitation, she said quietly, "Thank you."

"See? Now, is that so hard?" he said. He couldn't help but grin behind his mask. He never thought that she would actually thank him. Even considering the situation, Cassie couldn't help but smile at his comment. That was the first time he had ever seen her smile. He began to walk away, then turned around to look at her again.

"Just so you know, I didn't know anything about this." he said.

"What?" Cassie asked.

"I didn't know Kotal Kahn was going to take you prisoner. He doesn't tell me anything. I just do what I'm paid to do. I don't ask questions. Not sure if he'd tell me if I did. D'Vorah's the only one he trusts with information like that. So, I didn't know anything about this." he said. Then he continued to walk away. Cassie watched him as he disappeared up the stairs. 'What was that about?' she wondered. Was that Erron Black's way of apologizing for what Kotal Kahn was doing? He obviously wanted her to know that he had nothing to do with it. But, why? Even more confused about Erron Black than she was before, Cassie sighed and slumped back down against the wall again. It was then that she remembered something.

 _-Flashback-_

 _She stood in the jungle looking over a map, trying to plan the best route for she and D'Vorah to take to get into Mileena's camp without being discovered. She thought that everyone else was inside Kotal Kahn's palace discussing tactics and things. That was when she felt eyes on her. She looked up to see the Outworld Cowboy, Erron Black, watching her from a short distance away._

 _"What are you looking at, fugly?" she said. The truth was, he didn't look ugly at all, but she was angry that he was looking at her, and she couldn't think of any other insults for him, which was a rarity for Cassie. Usually, she was always able to come up with something witty to say about someone. He didn't seem offended, only amused as he snickered to himself and continued cleaning his gun. Cassie scowled as she went back to what she was doing._

 _-End Flashback-_

Cassie sighed again as exhaustion finally overtook her and she fell asleep leaning against the wooden wall of the cell.


	2. Chapter 2

Part 2

Cassie opened her eyes the next morning to someone standing in front of her cell. At first, she jumped back, not realizing who was there. But, after looking again, she realized who it was. Him again? He was leaning against the wall across from her cell doing something with one of his pistols.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Relax." he said, holstering his pistol and taking a few steps towards her cell, "If I wanted to kill you, I'd have done it already."

"Yeah, I get that. But, I'm asking you what you're doing here again? Were you afraid we'd escape or something?" Cassie asked, standing and walking over to the bars. They were now standing face to face with just the bars separating them. He was much taller than her, but she didn't seem intimidated. He said nothing, just stared at her.

"I asked you a question. Answer me." she said. Something about his stare was unnerving, though she did her best not to let it show.

"I don't think you're in any position to be asking questions." he said, snickering.

"Fine, then. Don't answer me. Whatever." she said, crossing her arms. Erron sighed.

"Your name's Cassandra, isn't it?" he asked.

"Yeah. That's right. And you're Erron, right?" she said, relaxing slightly, letting her arms down at her sides.

"That's right." he said.

"My family isn't going to let this go, you know. If you guys kill me, They'll kill you and Kotal Kahn." Cassie said. Erron sighed again.

"Look, I'm just doing what I'm being payed to do. I told you, I had no idea the Kahn was planning this." he said, "Believe me, I..." He looked to the ground, not finishing his sentence. But, Cassie was curious now.

"What? What were you going to say?" she asked.

"Nothing." he said, looking at her again.

"You were going to say something else. What was it?" she asked.

"You're crazy. I wasn't going to say anything." he said.

"Yes, you were. Come on, spill it." she said. He didn't know what it was about her, but for some reason, she was able to get to him like no one else. He sighed again.

"Fine. I wish things hadn't ended up like this." he said. Cassie looked at him, her blue eyes widening in surprise. That was what he was going to say? That seemed incredibly odd for someone like him, but she was sure she hadn't misheard him. Besides, his recent behavior was odd for someone like him. He turned around and began to walk away, fearing that he had said too much, but Cassie reached through the bars and grabbed his arm, stopping him.

"Erron." she said. Her voice was soft, and it sent a chill up his spine. He turned around to face her. Her blue eyes were fixed on him, and he felt as if they would pierce right through him. But, he kept his cool, not daring to show how unsettled she had him.

"Why?" she asked, "Why does it matter to you?"

"I don't know." he said. He pulled free from her grasp and walked off up the stairs. His bare arm was hot where she had grabbed him. He was asking himself the same question. Why did it matter to him? Why did she matter to him? He had no more an answer for himself than he did for her, and he wasn't sure he wanted one. Though, in the back of his mind, he was afraid that he did already know, what he thought was worse than not having an answer at all.

Cassie stared at the stairway even after he was gone until a familiar voice got her attention.

"Cassie, who was that? I heard you talking to somebody." It was Jaqui talking to her from one of the other cells. Apparently, the others were just waking up.

"What? Nobody. There was nobody here but me." Cassie answered.

"What, were you talking to yourself, then?" Kung Jin remarked.

"I wasn't talking to anybody. You must have been dreaming." Cassie said.

"All of us? All three of us heard you talking, Cassie." Jin said.

"No way. You must have heard someone talking on the floor above us and just thought it was me. I woke up just before you guys. It couldn't have been me." Cassie said. This was a lie, of course. But, how would she explain to her friends that she was talking to someone who was supposed to be the enemy? She couldn't tell them the truth. Surely, this little white lie was okay, right?


	3. Chapter 3: Escape

Part 3

Escape

The next morning, Cassie woke early, half expecting Erron Black to be there again. But, there was no one. She felt a slight aching in her chest, and she looked towards the stairway, half expecting him to come down at any moment. But, after a few moments of waiting, nothing, and her chest ached even more. She couldn't understand why exactly she felt like this. Why should she care? It shouldn't matter to her. But, the truth was, she had started looking forward to his visits. What was wrong with her? She was actually disappointed that he wasn't there. Why? She wasn't supposed to care. 'Why do I even give a fuck about him?' she thought to herself. Suddenly, truth hit her like a punch in the gut. 'Shit.' she thought. She knew the reason even if she found it near impossible to believe. Was it possible? Was she actually falling for him?

About an hour later, it was agreed that they needed to escape. Takeda had a plan as to how they would do that. One of the guards came downstairs to give them their rations. Takeda used his telepathic abilities to make the guard pass out cold. He got the key and opened the doors to each of their cells. They made their way off of the ship where they had been imprisoned, and onto the dock. But, they ducked behind some bushes when they noticed three individuals on the dock.

"Oh, no." Jaqui said. There on the dock were three of Kotal Kahn's enforcers, Reptile, Ermac, and, yes, Erron Black. 'Oh, great.' Cassie thought. The last thing she wanted was to have to fight her way through Erron Black to escape. But, maybe, if she just talk to him... What?! She couldn't believe herself. Talk to him? What the hell was she thinking? Since when did Cassie Cage talk things out? Cassie Cage talks with her fists. Besides, he was a mercenary. He wasn't about to give up whatever Kahn was paying him just so she could escape. Not to mention, even if by some very slim chance he was willing to let her go, the other two wouldn't. Something was clearly going on. The three of them were knelt down beside the body of two dead guards. Cassie couldn't help but wonder whatever was happening was the reason that Erron Black hadn't come to her cell that day.

"This is definitely D'Vorah's work. Look at the wounds. The question is, is she working alone?" Erron Black said. D'Vorah? She was the one escorting the guards with Shinnok's amulet. Why would she kill them? Had she betrayed Kotal Kahn? Suddenly, Reptile looked in the direction of the bushes where they were hiding.

"The Earthrealmers. D'Vorah freed them." he said. At that moment, the four of them got out of their hiding spot in the bushes and began running. None of this made sense to Erron Black. They couldn't really be working with D'Vorah, could they? Cassandra couldn't, could she? No. She wouldn't. Besides, it didn't make sense. Why would they have insisted on taking the amulet instead of D'Vorah if they were just working together in the first place? Reptile and Ermac instantly took off after them. Erron hesitated, then fired off a few shots so as not to arouse suspicion from Reptile and Ermac. However, he missed on purpose. With his skill, he could have easily hit them if he had been trying. Reptile and Ermac were too focused on their targets to notice his "poor aim". He holstered his guns and headed towards the Earthrealmers. Reptile knocked Jaqui to the ground and began fighting with Takeda. Erron looked at the remaining two Earthrealmers. Avoiding Cassie, he began fighting Kung Jin. He couldn't bring himself to attack her. Not Cassandra. He couldn't believe it. Never in all his days as a mercenary had he ever even hesitated to fight anyone. This left Cassie to fight Ermac. Ultimately, the four Earthrealmers left the three of them laying on the docks out cold. Cassie and the others then fled into the jungle. Cassie had noticed how Erron Black had avoided attacking her. She couldn't help but wonder, was it just a coincidence? Or did he intentionally not attack her? She was lost in her thoughts for a few moments until a familiar voice brought her back to reality.

"Yo, Cassie. Do you want to come back to us?" It was Jaqui.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry. I kinda zoned out for a minute there. It must be the jungle heat getting to me." she said, playing it off. There was no way she could tell her friends what she was really thinking about.

"You alright?" Jaqui asked her friend.

"Oh, yeah. I'm fine." Cassie answered.

"Then, get with it,Cassie." Kung Jin said.

"Jin." Takeda said.

"We should probably contact General Blade." Jaqui said.

"Right." Cassie said, pulling out her communicator.

When Erron and the others came to, the Earthrealmers were nowhere to be found. 'Damn it.' he thought. The Kahn would not be happy about this. But, there was a part of Erron that felt a sense of relief that Cassie had escaped unharmed. Of course, he could never let anyone know that. Kotal Kahn would probably have his head if he knew.

"They got away." Reptile said.

"Damn." Erron said, not letting on to how he really felt.

"We should inform the Emperor of this turn of events." Ermac said.

"Yes." Reptile said. Erron nodded in agreement, and they went off to tell Kotal Kahn of what was going on.

They walked into the palace where Kotal was sitting at the head of a table. Erron sat down in a chair facing him with Reptila and Ermac standing behind him(Erron).

"Kotal Kahn, we need to talk." he said.

"What is this about?" Kotal asked.

"D'Vorah has betrayed you." Reptile said.

"What?" Kotal Kahn said. The shock was evident in his voice. D'Vorah was the only one Kotal truly trusted. She had been loyally by his side all the way, or so he thought. He never imagined she would betray him. He could hardly believe it.

"It's true." Erron said, "she killed the guards and took the amulet." Kotal Kahn was truly hurt. The one person he had truly trusted had betrayed him.

"And she's working with the Earthrealmers." Reptile added.

"We don't know that." Erron said.

"She freed them." Reptile said.

"We don't know it was her that freed them." Erron stated.

"And they just happen to somehow end up escaping just as we learn of D'Vorah's betrayal?" Reptile insisted.

"We have no reason to think they were working with D'Vorah. We can't just assume." Erron Black said.

"Enough. Both of you." Kotal Kahn said, "You wound me, D'Vorah. Coincidences like this do not happen. We have to assume they're working together." Erron Black wanted to protest, but thought better of it and held his tongue. He knew that Kotal Kahn would not listen to him anyway now that he had made up his mind. Besides, he did not want to risk revealing too much.

"We must find them and get the amulet back." Kotal Kahn said. At the Kahn's word, they headed out to find the Earthrealmers.


	4. Chapter 4: The Forest

Part 4

The Forest

Cassandra and her team had learned from General Sonya Blade that Shinnok was now free from the amulet and had kidnapped Johnny Cage and taken him to The Sky Temple. So, they commandeered a jet and headed for the temple. Unfortunately, due to the fact that Shinnok had poisoned Earth's life force, the sky was blood red and the jet's equipment was malfunctioning, so they were forced to land immediately, which ended up being in a dark forest. Cassie tried to get through to Sonya, on the communicator, but she couldn't get a signal.

"Fuck me. I can't get through to anyone." she said. Just then, a portal opened a short distance away from them, and, through it came Kotal Kahn, Reptile, Ermac, Erron Black, Ferra/Torr, and an army of Kotal Kahn's men.

"Oh, shit. It's them." Jaqui said. They decided to hide and take them by surprise. Doing this, they were able to take out many of Kotal Kahn's men at once. But, there were still some left and there was still Reptile, Ermac, Erron Black, Ferra/Torr, and Kotal Kahn himself. Reptile found Jaqui and Takeda and began fighting them. Suddenly, Cassie felt someone grab her from behind. She struggled to break free from the strong arms that were around her, holding her in place.

"Relax, will you?"

The voice was familiar, and Cassie relaxed slightly. She knew that voice... The person who was holding her loosened their grip and finally let go. She turned around to see Erron Black. She looked closer realizing that she must have knocked his mask off in her struggle to get free from his grip. She stared at him for a moment. His face was handsome in a somewhat rough-looking way.

"Erron." she said. This was her chance to plead her case, tell him that she and her friends were not working with D'Vorah. Surely, Erron would listen.

"Erron, we're not working with D'Vorah." Cassie told him.

"Yeah. I figured as much." Erron said, "But, the Kahn and the others aren't going to listen." So, what now? This put them in an awkward position. Erron didn't want to hurt her, but he couldn't just let her go or Kotal Kahn would have his head. Cassie didn't want to fight him, but she knew that he couldn't just let her go. So many things were going through Cassie's mind at that moment. She was feeling so many emotions at once. Without thinking, she did the first thing that came to mind. She grabbed hold of one of the leather straps on his vest, pulled him to her and kissed him. Even she couldn't believe what she was doing. It wasn't that she didn't want to, it was just that she didn't think about whether she should. She was acting solely on emotion rather than thinking about whether or not it was a good idea, but there was no going back now. At first, Erron was shocked. But, it didn't take him long before he kisses her back. This was something he had wanted for a while. From the moment he first saw her, he knew that there was something about her that made her different. He knew he wanted her, even if he tried to deny it. When they broke the kiss, they stood, staring at each other for a moment before Erron spoke.

"Cassandra, what do you...?" he started to say, but Cassie spoke, cutting him off.

"Cassie." she said, "Just Cassie." He stared into her blue eyes for a moment before continuing.

"Cassie, what do you want me to do? I have to do my job." Erron said.

"I know." Cassie said. The two of them were silent for a moment before Erron finally said, "Get out of here, Cassie."

"What?" she said.

"I said go, Cassie." he said, "I'll act like I never saw you here. The Kahn will never know any different." They took one last look at each other before turning their backs and walking away.

Cassie rejoined her friends who were fighting Kotal Kahn's men. But, after a while, they were surrounded by Kotal Kahn and his men, including a now remasked Erron Black, who had just rejoined his group.

"That's enough." Erron said, pulling out his pistols and aiming them at Cassie's group. Though, he wouldn't hurt Cassie, he still had to go along with what Kotal Kahn said. So, there he stood, guns aimed at the Earthrealmers, but not firing. As he stood there, trying to think of what to do next, Cassie tried to fire off a few shots at some of Kotal Kahn's men, but she had run out of ammunition.

"Fuck me!" she said, cursing at the lack of ammunition and her lack of options at that moment. Luckily, it was at that moment that Sub Zero showed up with the Lin Kuei and turned the tide. He told Cassie's squad that he and the Lin Kuei would stay and drive Kotal Kahn and the others back to Outworld, and that they needed to get to the Sky Temple and stop Shinnok. As Cassie and her team headed for the temple, she couldn't help hoping that Erron Black would be okay and that the Lin Kuei wouldn't kill him. Ironically, Erron Black was hoping the same about her as he watched her leave, hoping that she would be okay and that Shinnok or D'Vorah wouldn't kill her.

Cassie and her team were able to fight their way into the temple and she was able to defeat D'Vorah and Shinnok and rescue her father. She and her team had saved the world, and it was time for them to head back home.


	5. Chapter 5

Part 5

The next day,

Cassie had returned to her small apartment near the military base, and was still thinking about the day before. It had definitely been eventful. She had traveled to Outworld for the first time, met the Emperor, pissed off the Emperor, been kidnapped, and, oh yeah, saved the world just as her father had once done. She had met some interesting individuals, and now, again, one in particular came to mind, Erron Black. She wondered if she would ever see him again. She hadn't told anyone about what went on between them, not Jacqui, and definitely not her parents. She stood up and stretched. She was somewhat sore from all of the fighting she and her team had done the day before, and she thought that maybe a warm shower would help. She showered and threw on a tank top and shorts and walked out into the living room to see someone standing there. At first, she was alarmed at first, but, she calmed somewhat when she realized who it was. She was still slightly unnerved as she wasn't sure how he had gotten in because she knew she had locked the front door. She always did.

"Erron. What are you doing here?" Cassie asked. She was as surprised to see him as she was happy. How did he even know where she lived? And how did he get in?

"You tell me, Cassie." he said.

"How should I know? How did you get in?" Cassie asked as she approached him.

"I have my ways." he said. Cassie would have inquired further, but, at that point she didn't really care anymore. She was just glad that he was okay and glad that he was there. She placed her hand on his muscular arm and smiled at him. He wanted to tell her how relieved he was that she was okay, but he just couldn't find the words. He wasn't very good at this. He had never done anything like this before. And he had never been very talkative to begin with.

"I... I'm glad to see you." she said.

"Me too." he said. Cassie knew what Erron was trying to say for he wasn't the expressive type, but this made her so happy. He cared, even if he had trouble saying it. She reached up and took his mask off of his face. She wanted to see his face again, his whole face. He placed his large hand on her hip, and they stared at each other for a moment before he leaned in and kissed her. After they broke the kiss, they heard someone outside the front door. They instinctively backed away from each other just as the door opened and in walked Jacqui Briggs, who was Cassie's roommate. Jacqui took one look and prepared to attack Erron.

"What the hell is this?" she asked.

"Jacqui, wait. It's okay.." Cassie said, walking up to her in an attempt to stop her best friend from killing her new boyfriend, "Let me explain." Though she was surprised by her friend's actions, she didn't miss a beat.

"Cassie, what the hell is he doing here?" she asked.

"Look, if I wanted to kill Cassie, I'd have done it by now." Erron said.

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Jacqui said.

"Erron. Not helping." Cassie said, "Jacqui, Erron is here because we..." She was unsure of how she should say it. Jacqui knew her friend well enough to know what she was saying, the look on Cassie's face, the tone of her voice, all pointed to one conclusion, however crazy it may seem. Jacqui looked at Cassie, then at Erron, then back again, her brown eyes wide with shock.

"Oh my god, Cassie... You mean you and him... you're... what, lovers?" she said, still in disbelief. She was hoping that she was wrong and that Cassie would tell her a different story completely. But, that didn't happen. Cassie nodded.

"Yeah." she said, "That's right."

"Cassie..." Jacqui said, looking her friend in the eyes. She was unsure how she felt at that moment. She wanted her friend to be happy, but she really disliked Erron Black. She knew that Cassie was stubborn and that there was no changing her mind. Besides, who was she to tell Cassie who she could and couldn't have as a boyfriend, no matter how much of a jerk they may be. She didn't have to like him. She just had to tolerate him, for Cassie. If this was Cassie's decision, it was Jacqui's job as her friend to support her.

"If that's what makes you happy." Jacqui said, relaxing a bit as she smiled at her friend.

"What? That's it?" Cassie said. She knew that Jacqui's didn't like Erron Black, so she couldn't possibly like this situation. So, why was she not raising more of a fuss?

"Cassie, I'm your friend, not your mother. I may not like him, but, if you're happy, I'm happy for you." Jacqui said. Cassie smiled.

"Thanks, Jacqui." Cassie said. Jacqui looked at Erron.

"Just so we're clear where we stand, though, I really don't like you." she said.

"I really don't care. I'm here for Cassie, not you." Erron said. Somehow, this made Jacqui feel slightly better. At least he was up front about where he stood, not sneaky or two-faced. And, it seemed that maybe he really did care about Cassie.

"Fair enough." Jacqui said, "Cassie, do your parents know about this?"

"No. And you can't tell them." Cassie said, "At least, not yet. I'm going to tell them. I just have to figure out how. Until then, you have to promise not to tell them."

"Alright, Cassie. I won't." Jacqui said. Jacqui knew that Cassie's parents wouldn't react well, so she didn't blame her for preparing herself before telling them. She knew that Cassie would tell them when she was ready.

"Well, I'll leave you two alone." Jacqui said, "Yeah, I just remembered I'm supposed to meet Takeda for breakfast. See ya."

"Bye, Jacqui." Cassie said as she watched Jacqui leave.

"I should go, too. The Kahn doesn't know I'm gone. He'll probably be looking for me soon." Erron said. He knew Kotal Kahn would get suspicious if he couldn't find him for any length of time. But, Erron had to go there. He had to see Cassie even if only for a short time.

"Okay." Cassie said. She didn't want him to leave, but she didn't want him to be the recipient of Kotal Kahn's wrath. He suddenly wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close against him and kissed her again.

"I'll stay longer next time." he said after they broke the kiss. With that, he left. Cassie sighed and sat down on the couch. Now, all that was left was to find a way to tell her parents.

()I just had to use the dialogue from the game in one of the versus matches where Jacqui says to Erron Black, "I really don't like you." and he says, "I really don't care." I like that piece of dialogue so much, and I thought it would be a good nod to the game.


	6. Chapter 6

Part 6

Cassie finally came to the conclusion that there was only one way to tell her parents, make it swift and as painless as possible for her, just come right out with it and be done with it. She wanted to tell both of her parents at once, but catching the two of them in the same room was often a difficult task. So, Cassie told both of her parents to come to her apartment because she had something to tell them. She also made sure that it was when Jacqui was home so that she could be a mediator in case things got ugly.

"So, what is it you wanted to talk about, Cassie?" Johnny asked.

"Well, you guys are my parents, so I figure you should know what I'm about to tell you." Cassie began.

"Alright." Sonya said, anxiously awaiting what her daughter would say next. She honestly had no idea where the conversation was headed.

"Everything's alright, isn't it, Cassie?" Johnny asked.

"Yeah, everything's fine, dad." Cassie answered.

"Johnny, let her finish." Sonya said, wishing that, for once in his life, her ex husband would just shut his mouth.

"Well, the thing is, I'm kind of seeing someone." Cassie said.

"You mean seeing someone as in, in a romantic way, seeing someone?" Johnny said, looking at his daughter with a look of surprise.

"You have a boyfriend?" Sonya asked.

"Yeah." Cassie answered. That was the easy part. It would be when they found out who it was that the problems would arise. The expression on Sonya's face softened somewhat, more akin to that of a mother rather than that of a military General.

"We're happy for you, Cassie." she said.

"Thanks, mom." Cassie said.

"Hey, I never said I was happy about this." Johnny protested. Cassie couldn't help but chuckle slightly at her father's reaction.

"Dad, I'm an adult now, you know." she said.

"Johnny, you had to know this day would come." Sonya said. Johnny sighed.

"Yeah, I know." he said, "Well, if you're happy, then I guess I'm happy, too. So who is the lucky guy so I can pay him a visit?"

"Dad." Cassie said.

"Johnny." Sonya said.

"I'm kidding. I'm kidding." Johnny said, putting his hands up defensively.

"What does your boyfriend do? Is he military? Is it someone you met on the base?" Sonya asked.

"Not exactly..." Cassie said.

"Oh. Then, what does he do for a living? Cassie, please tell me he has a job." Sonya said.

"Yeah. Well, he does a lot of different things. Right now, he's working as a bodyguard for somebody." Cassie said, answering the question without divulging right away the little detail that he was a gun for hire.

"That sounds noble." Sonya said. Johnny furrowed his brow. He couldn't help but think that something in his daughter's words didn't add up, or at the very least made him uneasy.

"So, where exactly did you meet this guy?" Johnny asked. Well, there was no way around this question. She brought her parents here to tell them, and that's what she needed to do.

"Ummm... Outworld." she said.

"What?" Johnny and Sonya both said in unison.

"Cassie, is he an Outworlder?" Sonya asked.

"Please tell me he's not a Takartan." Johnny said.

"Eww, no he's not a Takartan. That's just creepy. And, yes, he's an Outworlder, but, he's human. He's just lived in Outworld for a long time now." Cassie said.

"A human living in Outworld?" Sonya asked. This seemed strange. There were very few humans in Outworld.

"Do we know this guy, Cassie?" Johnny asked.

"You... might have run across him a few times." Cassie said.

"Cassie, what's his name?" Sonya said sternly. She and Johnny were both concerned about how few details that Cassie was revealing. It made them uneasy.

"It's Erron Black, the mercenary, the Outworld Cowboy." Cassie finally just blurted it out. Her parents' jaws dropped and their eyes widened with shock.

"I'm sorry, what did you just say?" Johnny said. 'Oh, shit. I'm in for it now.' Cassie thought.

"Erron Black? The gunslinger?" Sonya said, "The mercenary who's currently working as a bodyguard for Kotal Kahn?"

"Yeah." Cassie said quietly.

"Cassie, he's one of the ones who kidnapped you! Why in the hell could you care anything for him?!" Sonya said.

"He was just doing his job. The emperor was the one who ordered it." Cassie said.

"It doesn't matter. He's not a good person, Cassie! He kills people for money!" Sonya said.

"Jesus, Cassie! What are you trying to do, kill your old man? What the hell are you thinking?!" Johnny said.

"Dad..." Cassie said.

"Don't you 'Dad' me, Cassie! You know what, Sonya, this is your fault! Your the one that sent her to Outworld on that mission!" Johnny said.

"Well, excuse me. I had no idea she would get kidnapped much less end up liking one of her kidnappers!" Sonya said.

"See, this is why I was worried when she started dating!" Johnny said. Sonya finally took a deep breath, then spoke again, more calmly this time.

"Look, Cassie, you're an adult now. And you're just as stubborn as I am, so I know nothing me or your father says is going to change your mind. So, just, be careful around him. Alright?" she said.

"Mom..." Cassie said, surprised at what her mother had just said.

"That's right... Wait, what?! Sonya, what are you saying?! Have you completely lost it?!" Johnny said.

"Johnny, nothing we do or say is going to change her mind. She's an adult now. Fighting her on this will just make things worse." Sonya said, "We don't have to like him, we just have to tolerate him." Johnny sighed in defeat, his shoulders slumping.

"You're right. Cassie is just like us. If somebody tried to tell us what to do, we'd do the opposite just to stick it to them." Johnny said, placing a hand on his daughter's shoulder, "Alright, Cassie. If you're happy, that's enough for me. But, if he hurts you, I hurt him. We clear?" Cassie smiled.

"Crystal. Thanks, guys. This means a lot." Cassie said. She felt a huge sense of relief now that that was over with, as if a weight has been lifted off of her shoulders.


	7. Chapter 7

Part 7

()later in this chapter, there will be mature content.

It had been a few days since Cassie had told her parents about Erron. She and Erron were walking in the Kuatan jungle in Outworld. It was hard to find somewhere where they could spend time together without being disturbed. They couldn't stay at Cassie's place because Jacqui lived there, too. Not to mention, her parents could show up at any moment. So, Cassie had often been slipping off to Outworld to spend time with him. This time, they had decided on the jungle as it was such a large area that it was likely no one would know they were there much less bother them. Cassie was in casual clothing, wearing a black tank top, a pair of blue distressed jean shorts, and a pair of black combat boots. She was wearing her hair in it's usual style, and she was wearing her military dog tags around her neck. She blew a bubble with her chewing gum as she looked around, then popped it.

"The last time I was here, I was sneaking into Mileena's camp." she said.

"Yeah. I was surprised the Kahn actually trusted you enough to let you go with D'Vorah." Erron said. Cassie smirked.

"Excuse me, cowboy, but I think you've got that backwards. D'Vorah went with me. I was the one leading the mission." she said. Erron grinned under his mask. Cassie's attitude was one of the things he loved the most about her. They continued walking for a while longer, then stopped to rest. Erron sat on the ground, reclining back against a large rock. Cassie spotted a long vine hanging over the river. Erron watched as she walked over to the vine and grabbed hold of it. She took off her boots, then she looked back at Erron, grinned, swung out on the vine. Once she was out over the water, she let go, letting herself drop into the river. She resurfaced and smiled again at Erron.

"Come on. Get in." she said.

"I am not doing that, Cassie." he said, smiling slightly and shaking his head. Cassie was young, and Erron didn't have the same youthful exuberance as she did. It was easy to forget sometimes as she was mature when she really needed to be. But, her spontaneity was one of the things he admired about her. He was much older and more serious, and Cassie's youthful liveliness was in stark contrast to his calm and serious personality. Cassie got out of the water, her wet clothes clinging to her, and walked over to Erron. She bent over and looked him in the eyes, her face only inches away from his face.

"Maybe I can persuade you." she said, batting her eyelashes at him. Just then, they heard footsteps coming towards them. Erron quickly got to his feet and grabbed his pistols.

"Someone's coming this way." he said.

"Who the hell...?" Cassie said. She and Erron stood, staring in the direction of the footsteps. Suddenly, they could see Reptile and Ermac coming towards them.

"Hmm. We sensed there was someone else here with you." Ermac said as he and Reptile caught sight of Erron and Cassie.

"The Earthrealmer." Reptile growled.

"Yes. It would seem that Erron has been keeping something from us." Ermac said.

"Traitor! Let's kill them both!" Reptile said.

"You won't touch her, you hear?" Erron said, stepping in front of Cassie.

"You're working with the enemy! You should both die!" Reptile said.

"Earthrealm is not the enemy." Erron said, "I'm not betraying the Kahn."

"Enough." Ermac said, "We do not believe Erron Black is fool enough to betray Kotal Kahn. We will let him explain himself." Cassie looked at Ermac, her blue eyes wide. She was surprised that he was being so reasonable. Maybe there was more honor among the Outworlders than she thought. Erron had thought that Ermac would listen to him before condemning him. Strangely, in all his years, Ermac was the closest thing he'd ever had to a friend. He had hoped that Ermac wouldn't be unreasonable, at least, not with him.

"As I said, Earthrealm is not Outworld's enemy. I'm not betraying the Kahn in any , let's not forget that I was born in Earthrealm. Even though I consider myself to be an Outworlder, I'm still human, born in Earthrealm. Also, I'm not working with Earthrealm. This is personal, not business. I'm employed by the Kahn. He doesn't dictate what I do in my personal life." Erron said. Ermac's glowing green eyes stared Erron and Cassie down as if trying to determine whether Erron was telling the truth.

"That is a fair argument, Erron Black. We believe that everything you have said is the truth. We will not kill you or the Earthrealmer." Ermac finally said.

"For now. We'll see what the Kahn has to say about this." Reptile said.

"Enough, Reptile. Let us leave." Ermac said. The two of them departed leaving Erron and Cassie alone again. Erron holstered his pistols and turned to face Cassie.

"You alright?" he asked.

"Yeah. I'm good." she said, "Ermac, he... he let us go." She still had that look of shock on her face.

"Yeah." Erron said, "I thought he might."

"I'm just... surprised, that's all." Cassie said. It was evening now, and there was a slight chill in the air. Usually, in the humid jungle, some cool air would be welcome, but Cassie, in her soaking wet clothes, shivered a little, wrapping her arms around herself. Erron noticed and gently grabbed her arm.

"Come on. Let's get you inside." he said, leading her away.

"What? Where?" she asked.

"We can go to my room in the Kahn's palace. You'll be safe there." Erron said.

"From what?" Cassie asked.

"Some Outworlders don't care much for Earthrealmers." Erron answered.

"Really? I hadn't noticed." Cassie said sarcastically, "I can take care of myself, you know." Erron stopped walking and turned to look at her.

"Look... just shut up and let me protect you. I'd feel better if you just humor me, alright?" he said. Cassie just looked at him for a moment. It was then that she finally realized that Erron really was worried about her safety, even if he didn't want to show it. She couldn't help but smile. For some reason, his awkward display of concern made her really happy. For Erron, this was very awkward. This was the first time he had ever been concerned for anybody. He had gone so long not forming emotional attachments do that he could just do his job and move on to the next. He had always been womanizing, never actually forming any emotional attachment to any. But, Cassie was different. She was unlike any woman he had ever met, and, for once in his life, he was actually afraid of losing her. He was unsure how to express what he felt, or even if he should, whether it would make him seem weak. This was all new to him.

"Alright, Erron. Let's go." she said. He was somewhat surprised that she had ceased arguing with him. That had to mean he was doing something right, right?

"That's better." he said. They continued walking, and he led her into the palace and to his room. His room was very plain, simple with just a bed, a small bedside table, and a desk and chair. Usually, he didn't stay in one place for very long, so he never really accumulated many possessions.

"I'll just... make myself at home, then." Cassie said, sitting down on the bed. She removed her hair tie, letting her blonde hair flow freely around her face, hoping that, in doing so, maybe her hair would dry more quickly. Erron sat down beside her on the bed, removing his mask.

"Thanks, Erron." she said softly, her lips curving into a small smile.

"For what?" he asked, somewhat confused as to what exactly she was thanking him for.

"You defended me even though it could get you into a lot of trouble with Kotal Kahn. I've never met a man who would do something like that for me." she said, blinking her blue eyes as she looked at him. Erron was speechless. He was truly unsure of what to say. His heart sped up in his chest. Of course he defended her. And, he would do it again without a second thought, even if it meant losing everything. This was the first time he had ever felt this way. All of his life, he had lived selfishly, caring about only himself. But, now, things were different. Cassie was different.

"Cassie..." he said. She leaned in and kissed him. She placed a hand on his muscular shoulder, and he placed his hand on the back of her neck, and ran the other hand under her shirt and slowly up her back. They broke the kiss, and Cassie wasted no time in pulling off Erron's vest. She took a moment to look at the shirtless Erron sitting in front of her. His build was almost flawless. He smirked and grabbed Cassie's shirt and pulled it off, tossing it aside. He stared at Cassie, who was now sitting on the bed, the top half of her body covered only by her black, lacy bra. She smirked at him.

"Like what you see?" she said. He smiled and kissed her again, reaching behind her and undoing her bra and tossing it aside with her shirt. He pushed her down onto the bed and she started to undo his pants, pulling them off and discarding them. He did the same with her shorts. They were now both only in their underwear. They broke the kiss and stared at each other. Cassie smirked up at him.

"Are you just going to stare, or are you going to do something?" she teased. He snickered and moved his lips to her ear. He began kissing her ear, working his way down to her neck. She moaned slightly, and she could feel him smirk against her skin. He continued down her collarbone to her breasts, sucking on one breast, then the other. She moaned, louder this time. He moved his lips away from her breasts and looked down at her, smirking mischievously. He then grabbed hold of her black lace bikini underwear and pulled them off, and she did the same to his boxers. He reached down between her legs and began striking her clitoris. She began to moan, and he then inserted his finger and began pumping it inside her, slowly at first, speeding up as he went. Her moans got louder, and eventually he removed his finger. She was breathing hard now, but she wasn't about to let him get the better of her. She wrapped her legs around him and flipped him so that she was on top. He grinned up at her, somewhat surprised. She smirked playfully and ran her finger lightly up the inside of his thigh, all the way up his penis to the tip, making him shudder. She began to massage his penis, and he arched forward. Erron, not about to let a woman get the better of him, flipped her over so that he was on top. He lowered himself, inserting himself into her. She winced slightly at the pain, though it didn't last long. He paused a moment to be sure that she wasn't in pain anymore, then he began thrusting. She soon fell into rhythm with him, and, they eventually lay beside each other on the bed. They stared into each other's eyes for a moment, and Erron ran a hand through Cassie's hair. They smiled at each other, and even though no words were spoken, they both knew what the other was thinking. They soon fell asleep in each other's arms.


End file.
